Second and Third Series Flavia Berlinas

A pristine Third Series Berlina 2000 receiving honors at the Monterey Concorso Italiano in 2003, after the car had been driven by its owner from Northern Italy to California. The car would eventually make the trip back to Washington DC where it now takes a rest after having toured 6 countries on 2 continents and 28 States of the USA. It covered 16,500 problem-free kms with 2 oil changes. lots of gasoline and one flat tire!

The Second Series
In 1967 the Flavia First series Berlina was replaced by the Second series, also known as the 819. Mechanicals and measurements of the 819 were essentially the same as those of the 815. Overall the car however gained in importance and got a more luxury feel by making abundant use of chrome (actually stainless steel), optional leather and wood. Not long after the take-over in 1969 by Fiat, the 819 or Second series Flavia was superseded in 1970, by the 820 series Flavias, all of which mounted a 2000 cc version of the flat-four engine.

The Third Series
The first batch of 820 Berlinas had bodies that were identical to the 819 series. With the introduction of the 2000 cc version it became evident that FIAT management clearly intended to reserve the role of the luxury sedan for the Flavia Berlina - the Flaminia being retired soon. The role of top-of-the line luxury sedan was further elaborated upon when in 1971 the 2000 Berlina was introduced. While FIAT management dropped the Flavia name, the 820 denomination was maintained thus confirming that the 2000 Berlina is definitely a Flavia. The 2000 Berlina was Italy’s contribution to the luxury car market until the year 1974. With a top speed of 175 kilometers (110 mph) for the carbureted version (and 180 km per hour for the Bosch injected version) the car was finally fast. In what was most likely the very first retro styling exercise ever, the traditional Lancia radiator made a prominent comeback, as did the square instrument dials reminiscent of pre-war Lancias. With the arrival of the Berlina 2000, the Cabriolet and the Sport versions were dropped from the model list and thus the Coupe was the only survivor of the “specials.” Rather unfortunately the coupe lost quite a bit of its original elegance as a result of the redesign in which FIAT’s influence became all too clear, particularly in the front end that thus became a mix of both the FIAT Dino and the 124 coupes!

Putting It All Together
Let's take a look at all three of the Lancia Flavia Series, beginning with the First Series:

Series I Flavia Berlina 1.5

Series I Flavia Berlina 1.5

Series I Flavia Berlina 1.5

Series I Flavia Berlina 1.5

Moving on to a comparison of the Series Two and Three Berlinas:

Series II Flavia Berlina 1800

Series III Berlina 2000

Series II Flavia Berlina 1800

Series III Berlina 2000

Series II Flavia Berlina 1800

Series III Berlina 2000

Series II Flavia Berlina 1800

Series III Berlina 2000